Quartier des Tanneurs (Tanners' District)
Quartier des Tanneurs (Tanners' District) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Colmar. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Colmar Colmar guide
%2C_2024.jpg){kind=link}
About Quartier des Tanneurs (Tanners' District)
A quarter of tall half-timbered houses near the Lauch, once home to Colmar's tanners; their airy attics were drying lofts for hides, and the district was restored in 1968-1974.
The Quartier des Tanneurs, or Tanners' district, is a quarter of tall half-timbered houses beside the River Lauch in Colmar's old town, with most of its buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Tanners lived and worked here, drawn by the river and its channels because their trade required a constant supply of water for washing skins. The houses were built notably tall, with open, well-ventilated gable roofs and attics used as lofts for drying hides and skins on the upper floors.
By the 20th century the trade had vanished and the buildings had decayed. A major state-funded restoration between 1968 and 1974 rescued the quarter, rebuilding a large number of properties and creating new apartments and commercial space along the Rue des Tanneurs and the Petite Rue des Tanneurs. The district adjoins the Lauch waterfront and the neighbouring Petite Venise, and today its old houses hold artisan shops, cafés and restaurants in a busy corner of the old town.
Did you know? The tanners' houses were built unusually tall, and their airy attic lofts were not living space but drying rooms, where wet hides and skins were hung under well-ventilated gable roofs to cure.
How long is a visit to Quartier des Tanneurs (Tanners' District)?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Quartier des Tanneurs (Tanners' District). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Quartier des Tanneurs (Tanners' District) worth your time?
Quartier des Tanneurs (Tanners' District) is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Colmar, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Colmar
Day 1 of the Colmar in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Quartier des Tanneurs (Tanners' District)
Preview the Colmar tour free in the Gingerguide app.